"My second home!"

In the last year I have seen more of Wansbeck Hospital than I really wanted to, starting with my son in ITU last year and more recently both my parents being cared for here. I have nothing but praise for the care they all received, in particular my Mum who sadly passed away on the 20th March. From arriving in A&E my Mum, herself a retired nurse, received the very best of care. A particular mention for one nurse in A&E who instantly 'tuned in' to Mum, she was still talking about them in her last days, how they were that special kind of nurse who inspired trust and confidence, everything that was important to her as a nurse herself. Also aother nurse who cared for Mum on Ward 2 and very soon after, Dad on Ward 17. The nurse was warm, friendly and approachable at all times, they delivered the bad news about Mum's prognosis very gently and handled telling me about the subsequent post mortem examination equally sensitively. I apologise to them for the shock they must have got at seeing me in Ward 17 with Dad just days after my Mum passed away! In times when the NHS is being battered from all angles, I for one am very grateful to it. I can only speak as I find, the nursing and medical teams who have cared for my family in the last year have been amazing. Thank you all.

Responses

Dear Sir /Madam, Thank you so much for this lovely review. It is extremely kind of you to tell your story so soon after the loss of your Mum. Our special thoughts go out to you as a family at this very sad time. Whilst I am very sorry that you have had reason to visit the hospital so often over the last year, I am delighted that our teams have been able to support you as a family just when you needed them to. It is also very reassuring to know that you have experienced excellent standards of care and compassion on each and every occassion. This is exactly the sort of reliability that we want to offer. Thank you for taking the time to describe the impact of those special NHS staff who truly understand the importance of the ‘human touch’. It is lovely to know that as a nurse herself, this warnth and kindness was especially appreciated by your Mum and something that stayed with her 'till the end. We will pass on your thoughtful feedback - I know it will mean such a lot to the teams involved who love to hear when they have made a difference in this way. with our thanks once again, Annie